growth

Communion is a holy thing. From now, until you sate the Dream and fulfill its purpose, You, The Dreamer, and You, The Neophyte, will be as one. Praise be to the All-Seer, and [[awaken.]]

You're on the side of a road. You need to get... somewhere. You're not sure where, exactly, but you do know it's far enough away that it would be difficult to walk. You're in a desert. It's blazingly hot, and you're already sweating through your clothes. Nothing but the road, sand, and a few cacti are within eyesight. Except that's not quite true, you realize, because you spot a car heading down the road. The car is white, and worn down. You can [[try to flag down the white car,]] or you could [[let it pass by.]] Or you could just try your luck and [[walk.]]

The car slows to a stop. The window rolls down, and the Zephyr peers out at you. "Dreamer?" he says, and then, "Wait, am I in the Dream?" "You are," you confirm. He blinks, confused. "Could you... give me a ride, maybe?" "Oh!" the Zephyr says. "Right, okay, [[I can do that."]]

The white car drives on, leaving you stuck where you began. You wander towards your goal for a time, sticking to the side of the road, but you're not making any real progress. You can't, really, drained as you are, unless you want to fully commit to the [[walk.]] Before you're forced to make the decision, you hear the sound of another vehicle. Looking back, it's an old, rusty truck. You can [[wave to the truck,]] or perhaps [[let it pass by as well.]]

You walk. You walk for hours, days, weeks. Time becomes a blur. The sun and the moon cycle through the sky. The heat and the cold turn into distractions that you cast into the back of your mind. Eventually, the road curves away from you, and still you walk, now with nothing to guide you through the desert but your own intuition. It's around this time you see a snake, coiled up in the brush. Its tiny head follows you as you walk past, and you nod to it. Its not the only snake. The longer you walk, the more snakes you see, coiled or slithering or upright, all watching you. Snakes fill the edges of your vision. You reach your [[destination.|the phone]]

The truck slows to a careful stop. The Sheriff leans out, holding his cowboy hat close to his head. "Well, howdy, Dreamer!" he says. "You look like you could use a ride." "I do, if it's no trouble," you say. "No trouble at all! [[Hop on in!"]]

The van drives on. You walk on. It's almost peaceful, in a way, when you ignore the parts of the experience that are just awful. The heat is nearly unbearable, but the sun is sinking down steadily, so you imagine that problem will solve itself soon. There's a snake in the middle of the road. It's staring straight at you. You stop in your tracks. You hear another car coming up behind you, and you risk a glance back. It's red, and looks new. You could try to [[hail it,]] or you could [[let it pass.]]

The red car slides to a stop, crushing the snake under its wheel. The windows roll down, and the Doctor leans out. "Dreamer! What the hell are you doing here?" "Waiting for you, I guess," you say. You shrug, but it's weak. You're tired. The Doctor presses his lips into a thin line. "Well, here I am," he says. "Come on, [[get in."]]

The red car speeds past, crushing the snake under its wheels as it does. Gross. The day ends, and night comes. The sweltering heat transitions into a biting chill. But even as you feel your skin starting to freeze over, you feel a renewed sense of purpose. You've been walking this whole time. Your destination is within reach. When the fourth car drives by, you ignore it and [[walk on.|walk.]]

It's a payphone. A payphone, in the middle of the desert, and a single lamp post to illuminate it in the dark of the night. You approach the payphone, and it rings. You can [[answer it.]] You //should// [[answer it.]] You've walked all this way to [[answer it.]] The snakes hiss, and you can't help the apprehension you feel when you [[answer it.]]

"Hello?" you say, and the words seem to echo around the empty land you're in. "Oh, you've made it here," the caller says. Their voice is... familiar -- //too// familiar. You recognize the voice, and yet you don't? "You've managed better than I expected, honestly." You hesitate. Alarm bells are ringing in your head, but you feel like you trust the caller. "Thank you?" you venture, and then, "Who are you?" "I //was// going to give you the code here, but you managed without me," they continued, ignoring you completely. "And you've been smart enough not to give the game away." Recognition hits you like a wave. You remember the voice. It's [[The Courier.]]

"I am," he says, as if responding to your thoughts. "Since you figured out the code ahead of time, I'll tell you that the next one is 'Founder.'" This isn't right. The Courier is dead, and this is obviously an artifice of the Dream -- but it still stings in a way you didn't expect. And these codes he's talking about? You understand him, but you //don't.// You're distinctly aware of the differences between yourself and yourself, and that's //not supposed to happen.// Communion is supposed to smooth those differences away, but they've been brought to sharp focus, and you can't force them out of your mind. This isn't right. [[This isn't right.]]

You shudder. The phone nearly slips from your grasp. "Oh," ~~the Courier~~ the fake says, and then, "I didn't realize this would... impact you so negatively. Sorry." You try to ground yourself. You glance around, and the snakes have all reared up. They hiss, all of them in unision. "One final thing, and I won't do this again," ~~the fake~~ the Courier says. "I promise." You watch the snakes uncertainly. Okay, you think. "I let the Correspondence find it," he says, "don't you worry, it's all [[going to plan--"]]

The phone explodes in your hand. You stagger back, out of the phone booth, and blood flows from your palm. You glance down at the blood as it plummets into the void below you. When you glance back up, the phone booth is gone. The snakes are gone, you realize. The world is gone. It's The Dream, in its most base form. But you've only ever arrived here at the beginning of the Dream, and it always leads to a scenario. But here, there's just void. Pitch black, empty. The world around you seems to thrum. You feel like you're being crushed. The Dream ends, with a violent scream, rather than a pleasant departure.

The Doctor's car is refreshing, after so long spent in the sun. You feel like you could fall asleep in it, but that would be rude, so you struggle to stay awake. "This is a nice car," you say, in an attempt to be polite. The Doctor grunts, staring straight ahead at the road. "You... like cars?" "No," he says. Alright then. You suppose there won't be a conversation, which is fine enough. The two of you are silent, for a time. You take to watching the desert fly by, although the uniformity of the terrain makes it rather dull. You glance at the Doctor, and he's gripping the steering wheel tight enough that his knuckles are white. He seems tense. You're close to asking him why when he blurts out, "I think the Courier was [[murdered.]]

//"What?"// "You heard me," the Doctor says. "What's confusing?" You make a strangled noise. "I think you know what," you say, and then force yourself to take a deep breath. "//Why// do you think the Courier was //murdered?"// The Doctor taps the steering wheel. He hasn't relaxed at all. "I'm sure you have your doubts," he says, voice tight. "So, the first question. It took a month after Courier's death to hold the funeral. Why?" "The Fool said there was an issue with his family," you say. "Right? They decided they wouldn't hold a funeral, so we did it." "That's true," the Doctor says. "That issue, though. That issue started because the police [[couldn't identify his body."]]

You stare at the Doctor. He glances at you. "Go ahead, think it over," he says. "Courier died of a brain aneurysm," you say, slowly. "That wouldn't..." You trail off, and the Doctor picks up. "The Fool says he died of an aneurysm. But a few days after he died, I was... suspicious. So I asked the Sheriff for a favor, and I snuck a look at his body." "You //what?"// You can't help but feel outraged at the idea, but you also feel... morbidly curious. "Yes, look, I don't need to justify myself," the Doctor snaps. He takes a deep breath. "Not the point. I saw his body. [[He didn't die to an aneurysm."]]

You stay silent. You let the Doctor continue. "I've been a doctor for decades. I've seen a lot of shit. I've //killed.// And the Courier's body?" The Doctor grimaces. "He'd... mummified, completely, over one night in his house, and two days at the morgue? He was //missing fingers,// for fucks sake. That's certainly //not// natural." You stare at him, stunned. He's completely convinced. "And so... murder?" you say, faintly. "It's the only thing I can think of," he says. "And I think the police thought so too, for a while, but I suppose they didn't find anything." The two of you think for some time. The air in the car is heavy. You wonder [[why he's telling you this.]] You wonder [[who he thinks this murderer is.]] You can feel your destination growing closer.

"This is crazy," you say. "Why are you telling this to //me?// Why not everyone else?" "I only have suspicions," the Doctor says. "And... I don't think there's a murderer among us. But there //could be.// I can't trust the group as a whole, but I think I can trust you." The car slows to a stop, and you realize you've reached your destination. "Thank you, then," you say. "I'll... keep this quiet, for now." The Doctor nods his thanks, and you [[step out of the car.]]

"This is... crazy," you say. "If there was some... insane murder plot, who did it? And //why?"// The Doctor barks out a humorless laugh. "Lord, Dreamer," he says, "if I had any idea, I'd be telling everyone I could. I'd be //doing// something about it." You're not sure you believe him. You don't //want// to believe him, honestly, but the Doctor's never been one for dishonesty, as far as you know. The car drifts to a stop, and the Doctor lets out a breath. "We're at your destination, I think," he says. You are. "Thank you for the ride," you say. "I'll... think this over." The Doctor nods, and you [[step out of the car.]]

You've arrived. The Tower is massive, extending up past the clouds and out of your sight. It's pure white, unmarred, almost glowing in the sun, almost blinding. A grand gate is opened at the base, beckoning, and hesitantly you enter [[the Tower...]]

The Sheriff's truck is cramped, it rattles as it drives, and you're worried that you'll get tetanus if you move the wrong way. Still, it's certainly better than walking through the desert. "Thank you, Sheriff," you say. "Aw, ain't no issue," he says. The two of you haven't interacted much, because he is //far too southern// for you to take him seriously. "Any goal in mind?" "Just at the end of this road, I think," you say, though you're not sure where that end truly is. He nods, offering you an easy smile. "No worries! I'm sure we'll get there [[soon enough."]]

There's barely a moment of silence before the Sheriff continues, "It's kinda nice, ain't it?" "The desert?" you say, doubt clear in your voice. The Sheriff laughs. "Nah, I meant the Dream! The Dream ain't called me for a while yet, now," he says. "'S nice to take a break, is all." "It's not much of a break," you say. "Oh, not for you, it's your job and all. But for me? I'm just drivin' through the desert." He sighs, suddenly serious. "Things have been... real tough, recently." [[The Courier,]] you think, but you wonder if it might be [[more than that.]]

You feel uncomfortable even bringing it up, but the Sheriff is clearly downcast. "Were... you and the Courier close?" The Sheriff sighs. "Not particularly," he says. "But the whole thing is depressing, ain't it? Poor kid. And the Doc ain't makin' it any better." "The Doctor? What's he doing?" "Oh, the Doc," he says, scowling. "He's stuck on some //conspiracy theory,// and he ain't leavin' me be about it." "What conspiracy theory is the Doctor stuck on?" You're puzzled, honestly. The Doctor didn't seem like the type. "Keeps claimin' the Courier was murdered," the Sheriff says, quiet, and you blink. "No evidence, mind you. I think the Doc just wants things to be more dramatic than they are." The truck rolls to a stop, and with a start you realize you've arrived. "Thanks for the ride," you say slowly. The Sheriff tips his hat, and you [[hop out of the truck.|step out of the car.]]

You're not sure how to broach the topic, really, so you decide to just go for it. "Has something happened? Aside from the... obvious." The Sheriff sighed. "Two cops disappeared recently," he said. "Haven't found anything. Even had Mister Correspondence looking into it, but looks like no one knows anything about it. "Ah," you say. "I'm sorry, I could see why that would worry you." "Just a bit," the Sheriff says. "I'm worried it might be the start of a... trend." The truck rolls to a stop, and you realize you've reached your destination. "Thanks for the ride," you say. "Good luck with your investigation. The Sheriff tips his hat, and you [[hop out of the truck.|step out of the car.]]

...just in time for the Dream to end.

It's nice to be out of the heat, you suppose, but any possible comfort is ruined by the Zephyr constantly casting glances towards you. You initially resolve to ignore it, but it gets so uncomfortable after a few minutes that you have to confront it. "Something on your mind?" you ask, turning to stare at him. "Oh, uh, no," he stutters. You take a deep breath and will yourself to be [[patient.]]

The Zephyr is the newest recruit to Apotheosis, and despite the fact that he's been a part of the group for two years, he still hasn't really grown into his role. Honestly, you're not even sure what his role //is,// but you trust that the Fool had a reasonable idea when she titled him. He's always been uncomfortable around you, even though you don't have any more power than he does. Actually, when you think about it he's uncomfortable around everyone. You try not to be rude to him, but it's kind of obnoxious. He's still glancing at you nervously. "So, this is your second Dream," you say casually. He jerks his head up in a nod. "...Better than the first?" [["Sure,"]] he says, and goes silent.

Alright. Enough is enough. "Zephyr," you say, "seriously, what is the problem?" "There's no problem," he says. He's gripping the steering wheel tight. "There clearly is," you say. "If the Dream is stressing you out this much, you can just... avoid it." "Can I?" he blurts out. You stare at him. "I mean, can I? I always assumed you would kick me out if I didn't... join in." You frown. "What? No one is going to kick you out for that," you say. "And //I'm// not going to kick you out at all. We have an equal standing in the group, Zephyr." For the first time, he turns to face you head on. He instantly turns back to the road, but it was quick enough to see the disbelief on his face. "You're the //Dreamer,"// he says. "Of course we're not on [[equal standing."]]

"I think you have a mistaken idea, here," you say slowly. "Only the three Administrators have more power than the rest of us." The Zephyr opens his mouth, closes it. He takes a deep breath. "Just because you don't use your title doesn't mean it's meaningless," he says. "The Doctor throws his experience around all the time." The car comes to a stop, and suddenly you realize you're at your destination. You'd like to continue this conversation, but it seems the Dream has other plans. "...Thanks for the ride," you say. Zephyr nods, and you [[step out of the car.]]

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Communion is a holy thing.

From now, until you sate the Dream and fulfill its purpose, You, The Dreamer, and You, The Neophyte, will be as one.

Praise be to the All-Seer, and

awaken.